WHITE HOUSE - OBAMA TAKES ANOTHER NIGHT FROM NETWORKS

OBAMA TAKES ANOTHER NIGHT FROM NETWORKS

Fox TV must have felt less than gleeful Wednesday as the White House announced that President Obama plans to address a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9 on his health-care proposals. Fox has been promoting the premiere of Glee on that night, as well as the season debut of So You Think You Can Dance. Moreover, as the Washington Post 's Lisa De Moraes observed, "Show premieres generally command bigger audiences and, therefore, higher prices" to advertisers. Should Fox decide not to cancel either show, it would likely provide further ammunition for Obama supporters who have claimed that the network's sibling cable operation, the Fox News Network, is little more than a soap box for opponents of the president's health-care program. (The news channel, however, almost certainly will air the address.)

03/09/2009